Asylum seekers being evicted from hotels has become one of the most common reasons people present as homeless to a Sussex council.
About 150 people who were required to leave Home Office accommodation turned to Crawley Borough Council for help in 2023, according to council papers published this month.
The most common reason for homelessness was private tenants having their tenancies ended – the majority of whom were evicted because their landlord wanted to sell up.
In 2023, just under 300 households applied to Crawley – and in 2022, about 325 households did for the same reason.
The second most common reason was that the applicant’s family were no longer willing or able to accommodate them.
The figures were included in papers put before the council’s cabinet on Wednesday to discuss its plans to deal with homelessness.
The plan, called the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025 to 2029, said: “The town has become home to a number of families and individuals fleeing war and violence, with Crawley having one of the highest concentrations of asylum seekers residing in Home Office funded hotels in the south east.
“The eviction at short notice of households granted leave to remain in the country often leaves people with no option other than to approach the council for advice and assistance.
“No additional funding has been provided to support these households and the additional demand is adding to the strain on resources.”
It added: “increasing numbers of larger families are approaching the council as homeless, increasing the need for larger temporary and settled housing options.
“Housing stock in Crawley comprises predominantly of three-bedroom houses. With fewer four or five bedroom properties available, the demand for them is disproportionately higher than the demand for smaller properties.
“Sustained elevated house prices continue to leave home ownership out of reach for many Crawley residents.
“Combined with elevated rental costs, young people have limited housing options available to them, driving them to remain living with parents for longer until this arrangement is no longer sustainable and they approach the council for assistance.
“Eviction from the parental home remains one of the most common causes of homelessness within Crawley.”
It said the cost of temporary accommodation had almost doubled over the past five years – partly fuelled by other councils buying up spaces in the town.
It said the council can’t keep up unless it gets extra government funding.
The strategy’s main points are:
- Working with other agencies and lobbying the government for more money
- Building as much affordable housing as possible, particularly council housing
- Working with other councils to get housing built
- improving the council’s housing stock
It said more emphasis would be put on preventing homelessness, including commissioning a money advice service from Citizens Advice, bidding for funding to house ex-offenders and home visits to families where parents are struggling to house their children.
They have also started drop-in sessions at hotels used by the Home Office to help people find accommodation before they are evicted – although this is challenging because this is often done at very short notice.
Discussing the strategy at the cabinet meeting, Ian Irvine (Lab, Broadfield) said there had been a recent drop in the numbers sleeping on the town’s streets.
He said: “Homelessness is a blight – it’s a blight on the people who are homeless, their families, it’s a blight on our society, and it’s also a blight on our council finances.”
Sue Mullins, cabinet member for community engagement and culture,said that, as Marks and Spencer closed its doors for the last time earlier this month, two people moved into the doorway, looking for somewhere to bed down out of the rain.
Mrs Mullins said: “That shouldn’t be happening in a modern town like Crawley, in a modern country like this in the 21st century. It’s outrageous.”
Leader Michael Jones praised the work of Crawley Open House and the council’s strategic housing team for their efforts to help those in need.
But he told councillors that rough sleeping was becoming “more noticeable” in the town centre.
He added that severe weather emergency protocols had been put in place and everyone found on the streets had been offered accommodation.
But not all of them took up the offer – some simply refused while others would not engage with those trying to help them.
Mr Jones added: “I hope residents will accept our assurances that this is a subject we take incredibly seriously and an awful lot of work is done.
“The fact that we are significantly overspent by millions of pounds on our temporary accommodation budget in order to ensure everyone has a roof over their heads should also be an indication of the seriousness with which we take our statutory duties.”
Members recommended that the strategy is adopted by the full council when it meets on 11 December. Anticipating approval, the draft report already includes the line: “This strategy was approved by full council on 11 December 2024”.
